Chapter 83 High Mountains and Flowing Water
It was late autumn, and most of the lotus leaves in the pond had withered. However, the servants had already cleared away the dead branches and leaves, so the pond was as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the blue sky, white clouds, artificial hills, and withered willows, creating a unique atmosphere of tranquility and clarity.
The young ladies entered the waterside pavilion beside the lotus pond and sat down casually, without distinguishing between host and guest. After chatting and laughing for a while, Gu Jingyi curiously looked at the fourth young lady and asked Ruan Si, "Did my little Bai brother really follow your carriage all the way from Hongye Nunnery to the Ruan residence?"
The fourth girl's cheeks flushed red, and she glanced shyly at Ruan Bi.
Ruan Bi shifted her gaze, looking at the clouds and sky reflected in the water, secretly smiling to herself. She had no other choice; she had only ever met Pan Shunmei and Gu Xiaobai, and had only heard from Granny Tang that Minister Du had a dissolute and pleasure-seeking son, and didn't know any other纨绔子弟 (playboys) in the capital.
After a long pause, I heard the Fourth Sister whisper about Jingyi, saying, "I have no idea what's going on."
The second daughter asked the fourth daughter, "Which day did you go to the Red Leaf Temple?"
I went there once in mid-August.
"That's strange. Something that happened in mid-August only came to light a month later?"
"Me neither," the fourth sister said, lowering her head in grievance. "With the rumors spreading like this, how many people won't laugh at me?"
Ruan Bi gently patted her hand and said, "Don't be sad. It must have been some idle scoundrel who was just gossiping and making up this baseless story."
The fourth sister turned to look at her and saw that she dared not show any emotion and confidently called herself a scoundrel. She was both impressed and amused, and the feigned grievances she had just made vanished without a trace.
Gu Jingyi smiled and said, "What Wu said is exactly what my little Bai brother said. My little Bai brother said that even if he had to search the entire capital city three feet deep, he would find that scoundrel and beat him to a pulp."
Ruan Bi nodded seriously, saying that he deserved a good beating.
Standing behind her, Xiuzhi couldn't hold back any longer. She bit her lip to stop herself from laughing, but the muscles in her cheeks twitched slightly uncontrollably. She thought to herself, if they really found this scoundrel, would Young Master Gu still be able to bring himself to do it?
That topic ended there, and everyone was preparing to start a new one when Baozhen arrived with two maids, each carrying a zither. Smiling, she said, "Princess Jingyi, my family heard you're learning the zither, so they specifically asked me to present you with two famous zithers that my grandfather collected."
Gu Jingyi exclaimed "Ah!" and said shyly, "This lady, although I'm learning to play the zither, I know absolutely nothing about it."
Baozhen said it was alright, the autumn air was crisp and clear today, and the girls could play the zither together. As she spoke, she placed one zither in front of Gu Jingyi and another in front of the second young lady, giving her a wink.
The second young lady was startled. Following her gaze, she saw three men peeking out from behind the artificial hill across the river. One of them was Gu Jiaxuan. The other two were a young man in a dark green brocade robe, a completely unfamiliar face whom she was seeing for the first time. The other, in a dark purple brocade robe, had a handsome face—it was Gu Xiaobai. A sudden flutter in her heart made her heart pound wildly, and her face flushed slightly.
Baozhen smiled and said, "Second Miss, it's been a long time since you played the zither. Why don't you play a piece for all the ladies?"
The second young lady finally understood the meaning behind Baozhen's gift of the zither: she wanted her to show off and steal the spotlight. Glancing sideways at Ruan Bi, she recalled how Ruan Bi used to play the zither off-key, earning her the nickname "a cow chewing a peony" from her teacher. Feeling reassured, she smiled and said, "Jingyi, what Baozhen said is wrong. We're just sitting here doing nothing; it's quite amusing. I've heard you play the zither very well. I've also studied with us. Why don't we all play a piece? No need to judge, just have some fun and enjoy the lively atmosphere, what do you say?"
Gu Jingyi nodded and said, "Okay."
“Let’s go by age. I’m the oldest, so I’ll go first.” The second girl said, crossing her hands and fidgeting with her knuckles. After a moment, she pressed her fingers on the strings and remained silent for a while. Then, she gently plucked the strings with her index finger, and a clear, melodious sound, like ice water, flowed out, skimming across the water and reaching the ears of Pan Shunmei and Gu Xiaobai, who were hiding behind the artificial hill on the opposite bank.
Pan Shunmei closed her eyes, savoring the moment for a moment. She then peeked out and saw a young girl playing the zither, dressed in a dazzling golden dress and adorned with a pearl hairpin. Her head was half-lowered, and although only half her face was visible, her charm was extraordinary. Pan Shunmei was captivated and asked Jiaxuan, "Could this girl playing the zither be your fourth son?"
Ruan Jiaxuan shook his head and said, "No, this is my second one. The one wearing the honey-colored clothes is my fourth one. Take a closer look and see if you deserve this rotten reputation."
Pan Shunmei peeked out again and saw a young girl in a honey-colored dress with a face as full as the moon and as beautiful as a begonia. Although her expression was too dignified, slightly diminishing her charm, she was still naturally beautiful and possessed a rare beauty. Pan Shunmei nodded heavily and said, "It's worth it. It's definitely worth it. No wonder people always say that the Ruan family in western Beijing is a place of outstanding people and beautiful scenery. It's true."
He glanced at the second young lady again, then patted Ruan Jiaxuan's shoulder heavily and said, "Well done, Jiaxuan. You've kept it well hidden. With two such outstanding women, I've never heard you mention them before."
Ruan Jiaxuan, looking smug, brushed his hand away and said, "Alright, we've all seen it. Let's slip away while they're not around."
“No, no. It’s said that a musician playing the zither is calm and focused, detached from worldly affairs; even the slightest disturbance can break a string. So we should listen to the entire piece, ‘High Mountains and Flowing Water,’ before we leave. Otherwise, wouldn’t we be causing your second sister to break her strings and damage her zither? Besides, your second sister’s zither skills are quite good. Your lofty aspirations soar like high mountains, and your flowing thoughts flow like water, rivaling even the legendary friendship of Bo Ya and Zi Qi. It’s a great fortune for Xiao Bai and me to have heard it.” After a pause, Pan Shunmei put her arm around Gu Xiaobai’s shoulder and said, “Xiaobai, don’t you think so?”
After a long pause, there was no reply from Gu Xiaobai. He hesitated, then turned around and saw Gu Xiaobai staring intently at a girl in a light green dress on the opposite bank. This girl sat close to the Fourth Sister, her skin was snow-white, and her figure was slender like a newly sprouted willow branch. Because she was sitting sideways, only half of her face was visible, but there was a strangely familiar aura about her. He frowned and thought for a moment, but couldn't remember. He asked Jiaxuan, "Who is this girl in the green dress? She looks so familiar!"
Gu Xiaobai finally woke up and turned to look at him.
Ruan Jiaxuan said it was my fifth child.
"Oh, she's Master Ziying's disciple... Oh dear, I recognize her." Pan Shunmei nudged Gu Xiaobai and said, "Xiaobai, do you recognize her?"
Gu Xiaobai glared at him and said, "Of course I recognize her. She's even been a guest at my grandmother's house."
"I meant which Jade Void Temple..." Before she could finish speaking, Gu Xiaobai frowned, her heart skipped a beat, and then she remembered that it wasn't a good thing for a young lady from a prestigious family to be kidnapped, and she really shouldn't have said it. She leaned close to Gu Xiaobai's ear and whispered, "You knew about this a long time ago, didn't you? You didn't even tell me. I've been wondering which family's daughter this is."
Gu Xiaobai ignored him and remained silent.
Pan Shunmei looked at Ruan Bi again, shook her head, and said, "What a pity, what a pity. Although she is also very beautiful, she pales in comparison to the two of them."
Gu Xiaobai retorted without hesitation, "Where is she inferior? Don't you have eyes? She's clearly prettier than everyone else."
Pan Shunmei stared at him in surprise, then burst out laughing. "Little Bai, so... so you like..."
Gu Xiaobai also slipped up, her face immediately turning red, and she stomped heavily on his foot.
Pan Shunmei was stepped on squarely and couldn't help but let out a cry of "Ouch!"
The sound was quite loud and carried to the other side of the river, causing all the young ladies to turn their heads to look.
Gu Jingyi disliked playing the zither at all, finding even listening to it torturous. Seeing Pan Shunmei and Gu Xiaobai, however, she felt a surge of warmth and stood up happily, waving and calling out softly, "Brother Xiaobai, Brother Shunmei." The Duke of Dingguo's mansion was simple, with little intrigue or backstabbing. Having always been sheltered in her secluded chambers, she had little contact with others and wasn't particularly adept at social interactions. Gu Xiaobai was her brother, and Pan Shunmei was also a distant relative, having watched her grow up. Therefore, she considered them family, completely oblivious to the potential issues of gender segregation in their current situation.
The other girls and maids were all stunned and looked at each other in disbelief.
On the other side of the river, Ruan Jiaxuan was sweating profusely with anxiety. He grabbed Pan Shunmei and Gu Xiaobai, saying, "This is terrible! My mother is going to kill me! Let's hurry!"
Pan Shunmei, being slightly older and more worldly-wise, was born into a distinguished family and had developed a refined and elegant demeanor. Unlike Ruan Jiaxuan and Gu Xiaobai, who were rather naive, she said, "Jiaxuan, don't be hasty. We're just listening to the zither. How can such an elegant affair be considered inappropriate?" After saying this, she bowed deeply to the girls on the opposite bank and said loudly, "I, Pan, came here in high spirits, and upon hearing the music of 'High Mountains and Flowing Water,' I was filled with longing. I did not expect to disturb the elegant enjoyment of you ladies. My apologies, my apologies."
After saying this, he turned and left with Ruan Jiaxuan and Gu Xiaobai.
Seeing his rather dashing demeanor, the girls looked at Gu Jingyi curiously and asked, "Who is this?"
Seeing them leave, Gu Jingyi's joy faded, and she said listlessly, "It was Brother Shunmei from the Marquis of Dongping's residence."
Pan Shunmei of the Dongping Marquis's Mansion was a well-known scion of a prominent family, and everyone had heard of him long ago. Now, he finally matched the name with the person in their memories.
On the opposite bank, Ruan Jiaxuan and the other two hurried towards the covered walkway. Before they even reached it, they saw a maid leading Master Ziying in a hurry. Gu Xiaobai was about to greet her when she saw Master Ziying walk away with a gloomy expression and a fixed gaze. Gu Xiaobai was taken aback. Master Ziying was usually very composed and gentle, so why did she look so unhappy and walk in such a hurry today?
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